One by One
by Hades Lord of the Dead
Summary: A response for each episode. Apologies for any inconsistencies with canon I'm unaware of, please feel free to pull me up on newbie mistakes. Rated K for safety. UPDATE: 11. The Menagerie PT 1 - Captain Kirk cannot believe it.
1. The Man Trap

**(Overall) Summary: **_Diving into Star Trek for the first time, and I decided I'd try and write a response for each episode I watch. Obviously that might mean some inconsistencies with canon etc, for which I apologise, but I'll do my best!_

**Episode: **_The Man Trap_

**This chapter summary: **_McCoy thanks Spock. Kind of. _

_Set after the end of the ep._

"McCoy to Bridge."

Kirk reached over and held down the button on the comm. "What is it Bones?"

"Can you send Mr Spock down here?" Spock turned his head at the mention of his name. "I need to change that dressing on his head."

"Doctor," Spock began,"I do not feel that it is necess-"

"_Now _Spock."

The comm went dead, and Kirk smiled at Spock's affronted expression, or as affronted an expression you can get from a half-Vulcan anyway.

"Captain I assure you I am in no need of-"

"Sorry Mr Spock," Kirk said, picking up a data PADD so as to be sure that Spock would not see the smile on his face. "But the Medical Bay is McCoy's jurisdiction. I suggest you get down there pronto."

"But Captain-!"

"The Doctor said now, Spock."

* * *

"So, er, what exactly happened?" McCoy called, busy rooting around in the sickbay's side room for a new dressing. He pulled one out, and returned into the main room, where Spock was waiting. "Last thing I remember I was taking one of those sleeping pills in my room and then... well," he smiled ruefully, "I woke up."

"The creature, as you saw, was able to change its appearance at will." Spock was perched on the edge of one of the beds, to make it easier for McCoy to reach the wound on his head. "We realised this, and held a meeting to discuss what should be done. During this meeting, I began to notice that you were displaying some odd behaviour."

"But I wasn't- oh." Comprehension dawned on McCoy's face. "Of course. So you confronted me- er, the- the creature?"

"Not immediately," Spock said, giving an almost imperceptible wince as McCoy started to peel away the neatly applied, but now hours old, dressing. "I thought your unusual behaviour during the meeting may have been down to the emotions you held toward Mrs Crater. Doctor?"

"Sorry." McCoy had paused in his work, surprised at the half-Vulcan's unusual display of human understanding, and now quickly finished removing the old dressing, hissing through his teeth at the ugly gash on Spock's forehead. "You sure you don't want me to stitch this?"

"It is quite unnecessary Doctor. As I have said, it was only a slight wound."

"Hm." McCoy remained unconvinced, but prepared the new dressing all the same. "Continue Mr Spock."

"Upon confrontation I was quick to realise that all was not as it had seemed to be. Unfortunately, I had underestimated the creature's strength."

"Why didn't it, you know... finish you off?" McCoy asked. "Er, not that I would have wanted it to or anything," he added hastily, spotting Spock's somewhat questioning expression.

"It appeared uninterested, once it realised I did not contain anywhere near as much salt as a human," Spock explained. "However it was only once I had been found and taken to the Medical Bay that I was able to inform the Captain of what had happened. He departed for your cabin and I was soon to follow." Spock stood up, new dressing now firmly in place. "Thank you for the medical assistance, Doctor. If that is all?"

"Yeah, just come see me in a few hours and I'll change it again."

Spock nodded and turned to leave. McCoy watched him go, biting his lip in indecision.

"Spock!"

"Yes, Doctor?"

"Well um. Thanks. For what you did in there. Making me see sense."

"It was the logical thing to do, Doctor."

"Yeah. Yeah I suppose it was." There was a pause, in which the Medical and Science Officers stood there, neither sure of what to say. Then McCoy cleared his throat, gathered up some medical equipment from a nearby table and moved swiftly to the other room. "Well, I've got work to do. I'll see you in a few hours."

Spock's eyes glinted and the corner of his mouth may even have twitched a little. "Of course Doctor."


	2. Charlie X

**Episode: **_Charlie X_

**Summary: **_Set after the end of the ep. Kirk considers if he has done the right thing._

"-Captain?"

Kirk realised with a jolt that he had not taken in a word of what Spock was saying. "Hmm? What was that?"

Spock furrowed his brow.

"Are you alright, Captain? You seem preoccupied."

Kirk straightened up in his chair. "Yes, yes. I was just thinking."

"About Charlie Evans?"

"Yes Spock." He sighed, looking around at the crewmen up on the Bridge. "To think how easily he could have destroyed us. All of us. It's a frightening prospect."

"Indeed Captain. We should be grateful of the extent that you were able to control him. If not, I fear we would have soon met the same fate as the Antares."

"Yes... the Antares..." Again Kirk lapsed into a thoughtful silence, Spock equally silent at his elbow.

He twisted suddenly in his chair, so that he was facing Spock. "Do you think I did the right thing, Spock? Letting the Thasians take him away?"

"You did what you felt was right Captain," was Spock's level answer. "It is not for me to question a senior officer's command decisio-"

"Spock." His eyes searched those of his Science Officer_(1)_with something akin to desperation. "Please."

"... Yes, Captain. In my opinion, you did what was right." Spock hesitated, then went on, surprisingly gentle (though it may not have been obvious to anyone other than the Captain, who knew him so well), "You may regret what had to happen to Mr Evans - his age was a factor which made his actions somewhat more understandable. But the safety of the crew and anyone else he was likely to come into contact with had to be the priority."

Kirk nodded, slowly. "Thank you Mr Spock. That is reassuring to hear."

Spock inclined his head, before returning to his post. Captain Kirk settled back into his chair.

"Warp five, Mr Sulu."

_(1) There seems to be (to my mind anyway) some weirdness re: Spock's rank, i.e. at some points he is just Chief Science Officer, at some points he is both First and Science Officer. Next chapter's a mini made up explanation of that, but sorry if there's a real explanation somewhere out there that I'm unaware of._


	3. Where No Man Has Gone Before

**Episode: **_Where No Man Has Gone Before_

**This chapter summary: **_After the death of First Officer Gary Mitchell there is some unexpected reshuffling of staff on the Enterprise..._

"Gary Mitchell is dead."

McCoy felt his eyes widen at the blunt statement, delivered by Doctor Piper on his viewscreen.

"Dead?!" he exclaimed. "What happened?"

"I'd rather not go into it all now, Leonard," was Piper's weary reply. "I'll send over the medical reports as soon as the Captain has signed them off. I just thought you'd want to know as soon as possible."

"Yeah... thanks. How is the Captain taking it?" McCoy knew Jim hated to lose any member of his crew - that it was an old friend, not to mention his First Officer, only made matters worse.

"He's as well as can be expected," said Piper, but McCoy could sense the reservation in his answer. "Still a little shell-shocked I think, he- well, it's a long story. I think he'll be alright."

McCoy nodded slowly. "Do you know if Starfleet have commissioned a new First Officer yet?"

Piper looked suddenly apprehensive. "No... But I think I may have overheard the Captain say he was planning to recommend... um. A current crew member."

"Mr Sulu?" McCoy was surprised. Sulu was a brilliant helmsman, but holding the command position of First Officer? He couldn't quite see it. In a few years maybe... "On Kirk's recommendation?"

"No, not Sulu... Someone else."

This puzzled McCoy even further. Unless Kirk was recommending a yeoman, or an ensign (which may have seemed unlikely, but McCoy had known him do stranger), then there were only a few people it could be.

Scotty? No, the man wouldn't leave his engines, not for promotion, not for anything. And it wasn't Sulu... Uhura, perhaps, but the jump from Chief Communications Officer to First Officer seemed-

_Oh. _

"He hasn't."

Piper's face said it all.

"Doctor Piper," McCoy continued, his voice a deadly calm, "Are you telling me that I'm gonna have to start calling that green blooded hobgoblin "_First Officer _Spock" now?!"

"Well it hasn't been approved by Starfleet yet, but-"

"And who's going to take over the Science Labs?" McCoy demanded, not listening to Piper, who had turned a little away, so as to hide his smile from the viewscreen. "Has our Captain considered that?"

"I was under the impression that he hopes Mr Spock will hold both positions-"

"_WHAT?!_"

_**A/N **__I think there could be quite a few interesting reasons as to why Spock seems to switch from Science to First and Science Officer, and also why McCoy isn't on the Enterprise in this episode. I just decided to write this one up - I'm aware I haven't actually explained why McCoy is away. Let's just say he's on shore leave or attending some medical conference or something._

_Thank you for reading, and (I hope!) reviewing!_

_And thanks also to Spockologist, my epic beta reader. _


	4. The Naked Time

**Episode: **_The Naked Time_

**This chapter summary: **_McCoy is completely oblivious._

"And there you go, Mr Spock," McCoy said, injecting the serum into Spock's arm with perhaps a little more enthusiasm than was necessary.

Spock stood, another crewman taking his place on the biobed, and went to join his Captain, who was watching the proceedings. It had been decided that after those who had caught the Psi 2000 virus were treated, the serum would also be given to all the other members of the crew, to prevent any accidental spread of the disease. There were few left to be injected.

"You know Spock, I can't help but wonder at what would've happened if someone had passed the virus onto you," McCoy chuckled, not spotting the quick glance that passed between the Captain and his First Officer. "I just find it hard to imagine you lusting after a female yeoman, or serenading us all with whatever passes for traditional ballads on Vulcan."

"My differing physiology may have simply meant the virus would not have affected me," Spock replied and Kirk suppressed a smile, taking note of the fact that he was not lying, not quite. "Or perhaps it would have prompted a differing response in me than those experienced by human crewmembers who contracted the virus. Captain, if I may return to the Bridge?"

"Certainly Mr Spock - go ahead."

Spock nodded to them both before departing, being very sure _not _to glance at Nurse Chapel on the way out, who had been hovering in the corner, preparing various supplies which could have been dealt with the next day. McCoy watched him leave, smiling to himself, then turned back to the engineering ensign on the bed.

"Somewhere in there, Jim," he said, injecting the hypo into the red sleeved arm, "somewhere I'm sure there's some feeling in him, something that virus would have revealed."

_If only you knew, Bones, _Kirk thought sadly to himself, still trying to erase the memory of his First Officer's tears.


	5. The Enemy Within

**Episode: **_The Enemy Within_

**Summary: **_The Captain may have brushed her off, but Janice Rand is a determined woman..._

The Captain's brusque dismissal of her was a little upsetting, it had to be said. And Mr Spock's little joke - _since when did Vulcans joke anyway?! - _on her encounter with Captain Kirk's more... passionate half. Yes. That had definitely been embarrassing.

But that half _was _a half of the Captain - a half that was very clearly attracted to her, no matter what the other half might do in an effort to hide it. He could brush her off, act as cold as he liked, but she could be persistent when she wanted to be, and she most certainly wasn't about to give up without a fight.


	6. Mudd's Women

_**Episode:** Mudd's Women_

_**Summary:** McCoy finds it hard to believe Spock isn't laughing at him, even if there's no laughter involved._

It's not that McCoy isn't used to their half-Vulcan First Officer looking down on them in that typical I-am-Vulcan-and-am-therefore-superior manner of his. It's just he's really not used to being laughed at by Spock.

Of course there isn't a single giggle, chuckle or otherwise actually involved in this process, but the slanted eyebrows are raised to epic heights, beneath which his eyes are glinting with amusement at the sight of every male crewmember aboard completely entranced by the three new arrivals. It's enough to make McCoy want to wipe that expressionless yet somehow still smug look off Spock's face - with a fist if necessary.

There is no way Vulcans don't have emotion.


	7. What Are Little Girls Made Of?

**Episode: **_What Are Little Girls Made Of?_

**Summary: **"_Half breed interfering!" - For a moment, Spock ponders these words._

"-half breed interfering-!"

There is a moment - a brief one, certainly, but a moment all the same - when he takes the Captain's uncharacteristic words at face value. Something twinges inside of him. He might have labelled it shock, or perhaps betrayal, but those are emotions he is so separated from he cannot even recognise them. Should not recognise them.

He doesn't reflect for too long. A brief thought ripples through his mind. Purely logical, of course.

_It was irrational to place such trust in James Kirk._


	8. Miri

**Episode: **_Miri_

**Summary: **_McCoy wakes up after injecting himself with the serum, and he is surprised at who is there._

The first thing that passes through his mind is complete and utter relief - _he's alive_. The antidote must have worked and he isn't going to die. None of them are going to die.

Then he feels a hand at his throat. It isn't a threatening hand, though it's definitely cold enough to be damned _annoying_.

"Leave that to a real Doctor, will ya Spock?" he grunts once he's mustered his strength enough to open his eyes and see just who it is taking his pulse. Despite his weak protest Spock's hand stays where it is and McCoy's eyes slide shut again.

He's a little surprised how glad he is that someone else is there, and even more surprised that it's Spock and not the Captain making sure he's alright.


	9. Dagger of the mind

**Episode: **_Dagger of the Mind_

**Summary: **_Small moment directly after Spock's mind-meld with Van Gelder. Seeing as it's definitely the first time Spock's melded with a non-Vulcan, and possibly the first time he's melded with _ANYTHING, _I think it would have been a big thing._

McCoy kind of wonders if he should be watching this, if it's some kind of private ancient Vulcan... _thing_. Ritual? Whatever. But then Spock said he's already breaking the rules by doing it at all, and it isn't as though he's been _asked _to leave. So he stays. And as he watches he starts getting the idea that maybe the reason Spock's not meant to do it isn't because of Vulcan privacy. Maybe it's because it's dangerous.

To open your mind like that, let down all those mental barriers which _humans _hold dear, let alone any extra ones a Vulcan has up. And to open your mind to a _madman _at that... Still, it's too late to do anything, even if McCoy did have the slightest clue of anything he _could _do.

When it's over Spock slumps against Van Gelder's sick bed, breathing heavily and looking just about as weak as McCoy's ever seen him, (though he wouldn't be surprised if he sees him worse during this five-year mission). He's pale and his forehead is creased as though pained or upset - and it must be pained since Vulcans don't _get _upset.

McCoy frankly doesn't have any kind of idea what to do in this situation.

"Spock?" he enquires, tentatively.

No response.

"Spock?" he tries louder.

Still nothing.

"Spock!" he finally yells. "Jim's in trouble Spock - we've gotta go help him!"

He considers grabbing a tricorder, even though he knows can barely muddle his way through all those whacked out half-Vulcan readings, when Spock finally stirs.

"Doctor..." Spock's voice is... breathless almost, but only on that first word. Then he is up on his feet, and his weariness seems to melt away. His face is wearing that expressionless mask again too, and the quick turn-around kinda freaks Bones out a little. "We must reach the Captain."

"Are you sure you're al-" the Sick Bay doors slide shut, "-right?"

He shakes his head with a sigh and follows after Spock.

_Vulcans._


	10. The Corbomite Maneuver

**Episode: **_The Corbomite Maneuver_

**Summary: **"_Love to teach it to you" - Spock learns poker._

"You don't seem very impressed," Kirk commented once he had finished explaining the rules of poker to his First Officer.

"The fact the game is based almost exclusively on luck does not greatly appeal to me," Spock admitted. "With no form or concept of strategy involved, I fail to see how this game is any different than say, rolling a die to see who will get the highest number."

"Ah but you see Spock, _that's _where you're wrong," Kirk answered earnestly. "Poker isn't just about luck - it's all about interpreting people. It doesn't really matter what hand you've been dealt so long as you can read the other players, and bluff to your advantage."

"Similar to how you dealt with Balok today, when you "bluffed" about the corbomite," Spock said, nodding. "I see now what you mean. Most fascinating."

"Exactly!" Kirk exclaimed. He pulled out a deck of cards, grinning. "So how about a game?"

* * *

"Kirk to sickbay. Bones, you there?"

With something akin to a snarl, McCoy stamped over to the comm and slammed down the button. "Jim I'm just about to finish my shift and if you think-!"

"Oh I know Bones," Kirk's voice answered brightly. "I was wondering if you felt like playing some poker? I've just given Spock a quick lesson..."

The stress of the day lifted from McCoy's shoulders in an instant and he smirked at the thought of finally besting the Vulcan First Officer at something.

"I'll be right there."

* * *

"I thought Vulcans couldn't lie," McCoy grumbled, watching as yet more of his money was scooped into Spock's growing pile.

"We prefer not to," Spock replied, now turning to the Captain, who watched sadly as his money went the same way as McCoy's, "but we acknowledge the necessity in certain situations and to not do so in a game based around the concept of bluffing would be illogical."

"Of course it would," McCoy muttered sourly, wondering why neither he or Jim had considered the advantages of a Vulcan poker face.

"Another round gentlemen?"


	11. The Menagerie PT 1

**Episode: **_The Menagerie PT 1_

**Summary: **_Captain Kirk cannot believe it._

His mind was playing tricks on him. That had to be it. _Must _be. It was impossible that Spock - Spock of _all _people... No. It couldn't be true.

And yet... there it had been. He was sure of it. For a good two seconds on that recording... he had _seen._

_Had Spock really been _smiling_?!_

* * *

_Haha, betcha thought that was going to be serious! Well sorry for the length (or lack of), but I just find the difference in Spock's character in The Cage compared to his character at any other time hilarious. _


End file.
